Why Does It Hurt?
by DandyBoyDaniel
Summary: The same question is asked time and time again - Why does it hurt? Albus Potter seeks to answer that question. Albus/Scorpius slash. One-shot.


_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, nor do I seek any financial gain from using J.K. Rowling's characters._

_A/N: This is dedicated to AlbiePotter and ScorMalfoy and to all you AS/S shippers out there. Please review. If you enjoyed this, please peruse my other work and review it as well. Thanks!_

"Why Does It Hurt?"

Harry Potter sat at his desk, thoroughly perplexed, staring at a sheet of expensive-looking parchment. It was a personal letter that had strangely arrived via owl to the Auror Department at the Ministry, rather than his home in Surrey. He had to read the letter again to make sure it wasn't a prank. What it said was so outrageous, he couldn't believe it wasn't a cruel joke. He had received hate mail in the past, but this letter was simply in bad taste, involving his young son, Albus.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_It has come to my attention that your youngest boy has been associating with my son, Scorpius Malfoy. When I received a letter from Scorpius mentioning that he made the acquaintance of a child named Albus Potter, I did not think much of it, especially after he explained that they were housemates and in the same year at Hogwarts. It is no secret that this boy is your son, obviously. I expected my son's judgment of Albus to be colored by all the stories I told him of our bitter rivalry at school. I did not expect Scorpius to actually befriend your son._

_However, after several subsequent letters, it became apparent that this relationship went further than a casual acknowledgment of each other's presence. Scorpius clearly marked your son as a friend. From the way he spoke so fondly of Albus, it seemed that they were perhaps even becoming best friends._

_If it were any other child, I would not object to this alliance, though I wonder if it's your boy's influence that has been making Scorpius less respectful towards me. Because he is your son, I can not allow Scorpius to remain friends with Albus. Thus I am asking you, as one father to another, to strongly advise your son to cease his associations with mine._

_I have always appreciated what you did for my family during the Wizengamot hearings. I am forever grateful to you for that. But I have never forgiven you for the way you mistreated me at school. You can't blame me for hating you. Deep wounds may heal, but they leave indelible scars. To hear that Scorpius was becoming friends with Albus Potter renewed the pain I had felt when I was his age - The pain that you inflicted. I won't have my son hurt in the same way. _

_Respectfully,_

_Draco L. Malfoy_

It became apparent that it was not a sick joke when Malfoy came into Harry's office the next day to discuss this matter further.

Harry asked softly, his voice strained with pity and sadness, "Why does it hurt? After all these years? Why can't you let it go?"

Malfoy shrugged and said dismissively, "It should be obvious to you, Potter. But anyway, it's not just me that objects. My wife is even more adamantly against Scorpius and Albus' association."

Harry raised an eyebrow behind his metal-rimmed glasses. "Oh? What does she have against my son?"

"Honestly, Potter, don't you get it?" Malfoy scoffed. "It's not about Albus. It's about you. It's because of you that Astoria's father is dead. Wolfric was an auror. He died to protect you."

Harry sighed heavily, furrowing his brow. He now understood why old wounds hurt so much. The awful feeling of guilt renewed itself, spreading as a dull pain in his gut.

"I can't, Malfoy. Do what you will with your own son, but I can't ask Albus to stop being friends with Scorpius because of this. I can't make him pay for what I've done."

-A/S -

"Ow! Fucking Hell!" exclaimed Albus, yanking his hand away from Scorpius' with such force that he nearly fell backwards. It felt like his palm had just been seared by hot metal.

"Don't be such a baby, Albie," said Scorpius, looking slightly annoyed, but otherwise unharmed compared to Albus.

"Why does it HURT?" Albus asked with alarm widening his green eyes.

"Because it's powerful magic, silly. Strong spells hurt sometimes." Scorpius took Albus by the wrist and turned his hand over to examine his palm. Albus observed with awe as the pain began to subside and a slightly raised mark began to appear.

"Woah. That's maddness," he said, admiring the little pink welt on his palm in the shape of an 'S'. He looked up at Scorpius, impressed with what the other boy had managed to accomplish as a first-year Hogwarts student. "I can't believe you just did that with your wand. It seriously felt like you took a hot knife and put it in my hand."

Scorpius smirked proudly. "You doubted I could perform the friendship binding spell? Pft! I'm Scorpius Bloody Malfoy."

The other boy had taken the tip of his wand and had drawn an 'A' onto his own palm, then an 'S' on Albus' palm, and had recited a long incantation from memory while they held hands. If their friendship were true, this spell would protect it, ensuring it would last forever even through adversity.

Albus chuckled. "Damn right, you are. And neither Draco Bloody Malfoy or anybody else is ever going to keep us apart."

"Usque velit." said Scorpius with a firm nod.

Albus gave him a confused glance. "Speaking in tongues again, Scorpius?"

"It's Latin," Scorpius said with a casual shrug, as if the language should be something every 11-year-old boy knew. "It means _friends until the end._"

"Oh," said Albus with a smile. Nobody was cooler than Scorpius in this moment. "Usque velit."

- A/S-

Harry knocked at the door to Albus's bedroom.

"Go away!" Even through the door, Harry could tell from his son's voice that he was crying.

"Albus Severus, that's enough!" Shouted Ginny. "You come out of there, young man! It's bloody Christmas!" She was at her wit's end after beating down his door for a quarter of an hour.

"I don't fucking care that it's Christmas!" shouted Albus.

"Watch your goddamned language! Have some fucking respect for your mother!" said Ginny. Harry couldn't help but bite back a chuckle. She had picked up quite a potty-mouth during her quidditch career. It hadn't dampened even when she became a full-time mother.

Harry put a hand on his wife's shoulder. He could feel the tension in her muscles. It was evident by the way her face had colored to match her hair that it was time for her to just step away. "You go on to your parents' with Lily and Jamie. Albie and I will follow you in a bit." He offered her a small smile and a kiss on the forehead.

"Very well," she said with a defeated sigh.

"Albie, mum's gone to Gran's. Will you open up the door and have a talk with your dad?" Harry asked softly.

After about a minute of silence, Albie unlocked the door and plopped himself back down on the bed. Harry could see that Albus had indeed been crying. His long eyelashes were damp and his face was blotchy red.

He sat down at the foot of the bed and calmly inquired, "Can you at least give me a hint at what this is all about?"

Albus thrust a crumpled up sheet of parchment at him, bitterly. "This is all your fault."

Harry read the letter. It was written on that now-familiar expensive stationery.

_Albie,_

_Mother and Father said they're going to make me transfer to Durmstrang after the winter hols if I don't stop being your friend._

_You know how much I hate the cold, and people say Durmstrang is colder than an old hag's tits._

_I hope you'll understand._

_Have a good Christmas,_

_Scorpius_

Harry sighed and opened his arms to his anguished son. Albus buried his face in his chest, sobbing.

"Dad, why does it hurt?"

- A/S -

"I knew that wouldn't last long," said Albus, feigning self-assurance. Nobody did it quite like Scorpius. And try as he may, Albus could never replicate Scorpius' confidence.

"Bullshit," said Scorpius. "You were walking around for the rest of the school year like somebody had died," he pointed out, his voice and demeanor devoid of any remorse or pity.

Albus looked away and scratched his cheek, uselessly trying to hide his blush. He felt stupid for letting the prospect of losing Scorpius forever affect him so much. He had moped around for the remainder of first year and throughout the summer. Clearly, Scorpius hadn't been affected.

"Come on, we have our first class in a minute. We'll be late." Scorpius grabbed Albus by the wrist in an attempt to yank him up from the common room sofa.

It burned when Scorpius touched him. But not in the way the friendship binding spell had burned. Albus pulled out of his grasp awkwardly and mumbled meekly, "Let go."

"Why? Does it hurt? That thing on your hand – does it sting sometimes?" Scorpius asked, absently fingering the 'A' on his palm.

"No, it's just… Nevermind." How could Albus explain it to Scorpius when he couldn't bloody explain to himself why he felt a warmth in his cheeks and an ache in his chest every time Scorpius touched him. It had been so long since Scorpius had touched him that it was a shock to feel his elegant fingers wrapping themselves around his wrist possessively.

Scorpius gave his signature jaded shrug. "Erm, okay… Yeah, it never hurts me either. I was just wondering because, erm, that's what they say, you know. It hurts sometimes." Albus could tell that Scorpius was trying to be cool and unaffected. It was one of those rare occasions when Scorpius actually had to try.

- A/S -

Scorpius' moans were punctuated by sharp gasps. The desperation in his voice increased with each exaltation to the deities. "Oh gods… Oh gods!… Oh GODS!"

"Is that good, or bad?" Asked Albus, biting his bottom lip nervously. His cheeks were flushed pink, but somehow, he still looked perfect and beautiful to Scorpius. He loved how easily he could make Albus blush, even after five years. What he loved even more was how nobody else could make Albus blush like this.

"I, erm, …I don't know." Scorpius shifted, pulling his legs back further towards his chest. It didn't help to ease the burning ache blossoming from his entrance. "Why does it hurt? I thought fucking is supposed to be the best feeling ever."

"I'm sorry. Do you want to stop?" Albus asked. He looked so pathetically adorable when he was apologetic. It was part of the reason why Scorpius had always forgiven him whenever Albus had done something stupid to piss him off.

Scorpius shook his head and smiled, meeting Albus' green eyes. "No, I want this. I want _you_, Albie."

Albus pressed his pout to Scorpius' lips and mumbled, "I don't want to hurt you, Scor."

"If it doesn't hurt, it isn't love," replied Scorpius.


End file.
